The Sweet Spot w/ Reese Johanson ($5 Dance Class Challenge)

The dance community will host New Orleans’ 3rd Annual celebration of New Orleans Dance Week with $5 classes for adult students at studios across the city. 10 dance programs across the city are offering $5 adult classes for two weeks leading up to National Dance Day.

THE SWEET SPOT $5 DANCE CLASS COVERS:Body Awareness and ConditioningSweet Spot Play Time

“You know when you are on a roll with your creativity and the inspiration for developing new work just pours out from nowhere like a crazy storm on a hot August afternoon, an unstoppable force of beauty and pure glorious revelation in sharing what is real for you, but you know you just stumbled upon it, not knowing from where it arose, and it slips away like a sunset leaving you waiting for when - it - might - dawn - again…? We will explore some simple techniques that can bring you “there” whenever you want. I am inspired by the techniques of Mary Overly’s “6 Viewpoints” and Joan Evan’s Techniques to re-find center and refine character development while composing new works of performance. Let’s bask in the sweet spot.” Reese Johanson

The Sweet Spot will take you through:

*Body Awareness and Conditioning Engage in exercises for re-finding center and neutral, flexibility and strengthening body and consciousness. This is a workout.

*Composition of Work and Character Development6 Viewpoints raises the artist’s consciousness; opening one to collaboration and inspiration for composition of new work. Joan Evans’ Technique focuses on character development rooting from basic body awareness exercises.

Joan Evans Technique of NYU Tisch School of the Arts and Stella Adler Studio of Acting, is a practice that uses simple imagery based exercises working with the body, to organically develop character from the inside out without forcing, "acting" or emoting.

The 6 Viewpoints, created by Mary Overly, is a deconstruction of what we know of theatre. With the 6 Viewpoints we strip away habits, affecting, and thinking and just be in the place between stimulus and response. We become fully "there" in perfect equilibrium of response and action, riding the wave between them. In this place story and theatre create effortlessly.

Both of these techniques are critical tools for actors, dancers, writers, poets, storytellers, filmmakers, visual artists, all creators and self explorers!